Effect of transcatheter arterial chemoembolization on kidney hemodynamics and function in patients with cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma

Background/Aims: Transcatheter arterial chemoem-bolization (TACE) may have deleterious effect on the kidney in patients with cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. The aim of the study was to test this hypothesis. Methods: Twenty-four patients with cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinomas were included. They consisted of 16 patients undergoing a single TACE and eight patients undergoing diagnostic angiography. Doppler ultrasonography was used to measure hepatic artery pulsatility index (HA-PI) and renal artery pulsatility index (RA-PI) before and 1 day and 10 days after the procedure. Similarly, kidney function was assessed by measuring creatinine clearance. In addition, plasma renin activity, noradrenaline, and endothelin-1 were also measured. Results: In patients receiving diagnostic angiography, no significant changes in HA-PI were observed after the procedure. In contrast, HA-PI increased significantly 1 day after the procedure (19%, p<01) in patients undergoing TACE, although it returned to baseline value 10 days after the procedure. In patients undergoing diagnostic angiography, no significant changes in RA-PI were observed after the procedure. Similarly, no detectable changes in RA-PI were noted in patients undergoing TACE. A transient small reduction in creatinine clearance was noted after the procedure in patients undergoing diagnostic angiography (−12%, p<05) and in those undergoing TACE (−11%, p<05). However, the effect was similar in the two groups (two-way ANOVA, p=0.72). No significant changes in plasma renin activity, noradrenaline, and endothelin-1 were observed after either diagnostic angiography or TACE. Conclusions: These results suggest that TACE per se has no deleterious effect on the kidney hemodynamics and function in patients with cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma.